ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wax · land · scale · hand · wound · leaves · date · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. wound — an injury
  3. scale — size or range
  4. wax — to grow
  5. hand — in cards
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. land — a country
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. date — the fruit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. hand — help
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. land — ground
  18. wound — an injury
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. scale — in music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. land — to come down
  24. calf — a young animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com